This is a show that has a lot of heavily character-driven moments, so it can be difficult to figure out where you can bring someone in to it and have them enjoy. Thesis over, opinions start now. (ps spoilers)

Cat Fingers: has always been my first choice, because it's the first episode I saw and I fell in love with the series. I feel the strengths for a first episode lays in the lack of Crystal Gems. They set the scene 'Steven you have powers but are bad with them', then leave for the rest of the episode. That's a strength you see in a lot of earlier episodes. Not necessarily the gems leaving, but simple concepts being explored. It is also quite dark, and does a good job of leveling out the more kiddie moments that may scare people off. I give it 4, no 10, no- aaaaahhh it's taking over my entire body / 10 cat fingers.

Steven & The Stevens: Similar to cat fingers! This one front-loads the quirkiness though, so minds may be made up before it gets good. It's also more of an ending reward for the concept than an entirely strong episode. But, you know, that is one hell of an ending. Also low gemage, but good Amethyst moments that I think are pretty contextless. 7 / 10 stevens

The Pilot: This was originally the first episode's place, but I think the pilot may be the most well executed episode of the series. It does a great job of frontloading all it needs to of the concept and goes to work. It also has some of the best character moments for the gems, including the greatest set plan Garnet has ever established. This is all having seen it coming back as a fan though, so it was less experiencing the singular story that the show existed in at the point, and more like seeing the high school versions of people you've only known as adults. Plus it comes with the downside of having to explain why everything is different if they give way to another episode. 8 / 10 duplicated donuts.

Because too many of my friends are judgypants wearing assholes, they need tools to get on board and OK with the fact that Steven is a little dumb and a little annoying.

My first try is usually "Bubble Buddies". If you don't like Steven and Connie being giant nerds together, you more or less know the show isn't for you. There's no growing into it. It is also a good episode because the significance of Connie's bracelet is alluded to in Gem Glow, and anyone interested in going back to earlier episodes after this will be instantly turned on to how the show wants you to pay attention to, and mull over, small details.

The first try is also the best, but if someone's on the fence: "So Many Birthdays" helps the viewer understand that the Gems really are mysterious aliens. And also that they agree Steven is occasionally annoying. Knowing a show agrees with me is important to determining if I want to continue watching it. This episode basically says, "Yes. You were right to see and think these things. You are so clever you." and it is nice.

Finally if I have to pick 3...I tried starting someone on "Lion 2: The Movie" because I'd been treating them to a bunch of Miyazaki flicks and that episode is biting off of Miyazaki more than usual? While they were willing to keep going, they remained frosty on the show. So maybe this is actually not as compelling as I thought?

Oh and uh- I give this post 3/3 ignored numerical ratings. Which was totally intentional and not because I forgot and couldn't sort out my feelings enough to put them into numbers. &/10

fucking. it's just. they just fucking turned it. they just turned it and we're just seeing the top of it. they just fucking turned it. those motherfuckers. they. just. turned it.

Pink Diamond wasn't just evil, or wasn't just misunderstood. She was an addict. Pink Diamond is the kind of person that urges you to do things you know you shouldn't, but you love them too much not to. Pink Diamond did everything that she did because she was bored and frustrated with her life and just wanted to change and chase a new high. And she just kept chasing new highs until there were no more highs to chase -- having a child was literally the last thing she could do. She was an addict who pulled everyone in her orbit into her schemes so she could see something that wasn't just unchanging Homeworld rigidity. She abused the trust and unconditional love of someone who was made specifically to serve and love her, leaving Pearl behind every step of the way as soon as she had another new high to chase. It's been implied before that Rose went around with plenty of humans before she found Greg, and this just adds a whole other set of implications about her constant desire and need for things that are changing and unpredictable.

Having Steven has always seemed like this big sacrifice to what comes next, children are our future kind of metaphor, love is more important than one's individual existence. Through the lens of narcissism and addiction, of Pink just constantly needing new experiences, giving up her life for one more comes across as an overdose.

Fuck. This hurts so much more than any other way they could have told this story. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it, but I don't know how or if they're going to be able to redeem Pink after this. Her actions directly lead to the Diamond attack on the remaining gems, lead to Pearl's deep-set traumas, lead to Bismuth being locked away because if she'd ever found out the truth she would be able to shatter a Diamond, lead to -- everything. Her selfishness and addiction lead to everything, and the rigidity of Homeworld driving her toward her vices means that whatever comes next is probably going to shade just how much they're culpable for driving Pink to be the sort of person that she was, but I don't think it's going to change that Pink still made a severely catastrophic series of choices for basically everyone in her life who wasn't herself.

Steven is his mother's redemption, for better or worse. And that's what makes it hurt so damn much, how often that's the legacy of those left behind by an addiction.

I'm very disappointed that after looking through the thread again I apparently never posted it, but that shit was called the moment we were told that Pink Diamond was shattered. The final shot was one of the great goofy moments we haven't gotten in a long while, too.

I don't know if I took everything away from it that Niku did, but I agree 100% that Rose's pushing Pearl towards the goal was really, really uncomfortable, and puts their relationship in a new light. I mean, fuck, Pearl was always and kind of still is just following orders. I'm not really expecting them to fully follow this thread, but it kind of makes Pearl not a Crystal Gem in the philosophical sense that everyone else is. Which will piss me off if Pearls are like, the only one of the crystal gems that isn't actually a crystal or something that was obvious foreshadowing, only because I didn't notice it.

Re: Pearl. Remember how much she wanted to show Steven the stars, to see how everyone was getting along without her? Pearl may have transcended the limits proscribed by her status in Homeworld, but that status was not without its share of benefits. I bring this up because I *do* think that one of the other Crystal Gems will have a big problem with Pearl's position in all this. The "terrifying renegade" was only rebellious because that's what her Diamond needed of her--but that means Pearl was always still operating within Homeworld's framework, right? So I can understand your point about her not being a "real" Crystal Gem, but I think that's just an artifact of Pearl's arc not yet being complete. Even if it turns out that the CG philosophy is not incompatible with someone who decides she's happy fulfilling the purpose for which she was made, I do think Pearl will officially move past structuring her whole life around Rose's decisions before this series ends.

Even though she was forbidden to talk about it, she made the conscious decision to talk about it by allowing Steven into her mind, by passing the command and breaking the rule.

I think the order to not talk about it was like some sort of Geas as Pearl kept talking every time but her hands went over her mouth. In the last few eps, she's tried a few times. The phone gave her an opportunity and she went after it.

Pearl has done a lot of growing towards her feelings towards Steven in the last few seasons. Yes, we see a small part of her still resenting the change, but I think it's a part of her she doesn't like.

I think originally she was just following orders but even that can change.

Pearl is definitely growing, but they left some ambiguity there. Is she growing and respecting that Steven should know? Or is she still considering it reawakening Rose's memories?

Also, bullshit that I thought about during the episode:How the fuck does gemception work? Steven seems to be physically entering the many Pearls and that just... I don't even know.I guess Rose was never poofed or changed forms in front of anyone for a few thousand years.Man, it would've taken some explaining if Steven was born with the Gem in a different position.

beatbandito wrote:I don't know if I took everything away from it that Niku did, but I agree 100% that I mean, fuck, Pearl was always and kind of still is just following orders. I'm not really expecting them to fully follow this thread, but it kind of makes Pearl not a Crystal Gem in the philosophical sense that everyone else is.

Well she does say this to the very first gem that comes along trying to re-enslave her - "I didn't fight a thousand-year war for this planet's independence to take orders from the likes of you!" So she has *some* skin in the game. Er, some nacre in the game.